Iowa-Minnesota Football Takeaways

The Call, Offensive Miscues, Joe Evans, More Punting

Iowa QB Deacon Hill (10) looks for an open receiver during a game against Minnesota on Oct. 21, 2023 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HN)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Cooper DeJean punt-return touchdown that was and then wasn't will be talked about in Iowa Football circles for a long time. That was the top takeaway from Minnesota's 12-10 victory against Iowa Saturday here at Kinnick Stadium. 

Officials ruled that DeJean gave an invalid fair-catch signal before taking the ball off a bounce and running it into the end zone from 54 yards out. It wasn't the last play of the game but certainly its most controversial. That it was a judgement call will make it forever debatable. 

Referee Tim ODey's story about the play had holes in it and seemed convenient after the fact, including him saying the fair catch signal made it a dead ball. DeJean said he did not hear any whistle blowing it dead, which is why he grabbed the ball and ran. 

It sucks for DeJean and his teammates, who had an argument that they were robbed but no recourse to do anything about it. They work their butts off all year for 12 guaranteed games each fall. 

Some observers pointed out a similar call from a Big Ten game in 2015. The difference was that time the punt return was wiped out before replay. 

Dominant Defense

Complementary football talk might make you throw something, so we'll stay away from that discussion today. We all can agree the defense is carrying its weight no matter how you view Iowa's M.O. 

The unit kept the Gophers out of the end zone. It has held back-to-back opponents out of the end zone and eight teams without a touchdown since the start of last season. Iowa has allowed 14 or fewer points in 14 of its last 21 games.

The Hawkeyes pushed the pocket most of the day, finishing with three sacks and three quarterback hurries. Minnesota converted on just four of 18 third-down plays. Athan Kaliakmanis completed just 10 of 25 passes for 126 yards. 

The only knock on the Iowa defense on Saturday would be it not creating turnovers. The home team lost that battle, 3-0. 

Awful Offense

Two weeks ago, Iowa beat Purdue without completing a pass to a wide receiver. It had 37 total passing yards last week in a win at Wisconsin. Saturday, the Hawkeyes hit a new low. 

In the second half, the final 60 minutes, they ran 24 plays on offense for 18 yards. They managed two first downs after halftime. 

Iowa looked like it found a running game the last two weeks with 381 yards (4.6 yards per carry). The Gophers held it to 11 yards on 28 attempts and also collected four sacks. 

Quarterback Deacon Hill struggled again with his accuracy, completing 10 of 28 passes for 116 yards and no touchdowns with an interception and two lost fumbles. In the three plus games since starter Cade McNamara suffered a season-ending injury, Hill has completed 33 of 90 throws (36.6 percent) for 378 yards and two TDS and three picks.  

On the bright side, the receivers were targeted and caught passes. Nico Ragaini, Diante Vines and Seth Anderson combined for nine catches on 23 targets for 105 yards. That might not seem like a lot if you haven't wanted the Hawkeyes recently. 

Hawkeyes of the Game

Offense - There aren't many candidates here. Let's say wideout Diante Vines, who caught three balls for 62 yards, including an acrobatic 36-yard grab that set up a field goal. 

Defense - Joe Evans had the pedal to the metal on Saturday, generating plenty of pressure and also setting a strong edge. He finished with four solo tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry. 

Special Teams - Tory Taylor continued playing out of his mind. The senior punter averaged 49.3 yards on nine punts with a long of 57 and four offerings being downed inside the Minnesota 20. 

And Another Thing...

-Hawkeye linebacker Jay Higgins added 14 more tackles to his collection. He has 101.5 already this season. 

-The Gophers held a time-of-possession advantage of more than 10 minutes. 

-Iowa converted only 4 of 15 third downs. 

-For the first time this season, Iowa is averaging less than 20 points per game. The Hawkeyes head into the bye with at 19.5 PPG.